Girls Will Be Girls
by Misura
Summary: In which Vlad might have discovered something about women. [hinted SeAl, NoCa, AlMa and very slight MoVl]
1. Beginning

Girls will be girls

x

Warnings/notes: suggested Norathar/Cawti, Morrolan/Vlad, Sethra/Aliera and Aliera/Mario, slightly silly, ooc, drabble-ish.

Disclaimer: The wondrous world of Dragaera was created by Steven Brust.

written at 14th june 2006, by Misura

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Rather a lot of things that can be done by sorcery, can also be accomplished by simply doing them. Contrary to what it may sound like at first, this isn't something some Athyra said a long time ago, after thinking things over for a few centuries. It's just plain truth.

For example, Morrolan can cast a spell to create bread out of thin air. It tastes - not bad, precisely, just very, very bland. But it fills your stomach and does all the things a normal piece of bread would do. By turning that logic around, you get my previous statement. Basically, it means that, sure, you can create bread by casting a spell, but you could also just go to the bakery (or, in Morrolan's case, the kitchen) and get some bread there. Or you get some flour, water and yeast, and bake the bread yourself.

A good spell will allow you to put less effort in casting it, than you'd have to put in doing what you're trying to accomplish without using any sorcery. It's very hard, not to say impossible, for anyone to lift an entire castle, to stick with the Morrolan-related examples, so by that definition, the spell that keeps Castle Black floating would be a damn good one. Would be, yes, because Morrolan's castle is actually kept in the air by his coven of witches. It's a spell, all right, but it's not sorcery. It's witchcraft.

Dragaerans consider witchcraft vastly inferior to sorcery, mostly because witchcraft is traditionally something done by humans. Morrolan is one of the few Dragaerans I know who dabbles in witchcraft, and if he has any opinion about which is better, he hasn't yet seen fit to share that opinion with me. Personally, I'm one of the few humans I know who also uses sorcery, and, well, there's advantages to both of them. I'll never be an accomplished sorcerer - I simply can't afford to spend the hundreds of years it takes to become one. Morrolan thinks he's a good witch, after years of studying, which is rubbish. You're either a good witch, or you aren't. Morrolan is sort of average, really; he knows a whole lot more than I do, but it doesn't mean anything, because witchcraft isn't about quantity. Witchcraft is about quality; knowing how to make do with what you've got, and doing it right.

From what I've heard, Castle Black did get lifted by sorcery. Witchcraft tends to favor stability; you can use it to speed up natural processes, or preserve things, but I wouldn't even know where to begin if I'd want to lift an entire castle with it. Thus, a sorceror put Castle Black into the sky, and then a coven of witches convinced the castle that it belonged there, and ought to keep on floating. If you want to look for it, or are an Athyra, this process probably tells you something significant and insightful.

So, in a sense, I guess you could say that the spell that -lifted- Castle Black all those centuries ago was a good one. Personally, I'm tempted to ask that, really, what was the -point- of it, aside from giving Morrolan a place to live in that literally put him above anyone else? And did he -need- to live in a floating castle to have people talk about him? But that's just me.

The spell Morrolan was showing to me - or rather, showing -off- to me, since hey, this is Morrolan 'I live in a floating castle because I can' e'Drien - was, by my earlier definition, moderately good. It was a spying spell, more sneaky than I'd expect a Dragonlord to bother with. Simply put, it allowed the caster, and anyone with whom he might want to share the experience, to look and listen in on a conversation that took place in any place that the caster knew well enough to be able to teleport to.

It was 'moderately good' because, sure, you -could- simply sneak close enough to overhear every word yourself, but if the three people having the conversation were Aliera e'Kieron and the two women who were once known as the Dagger and the Sword of the Jhereg, there was a pretty good chance you'd get caught. Getting caught would probably have consequences. By casting his spell, Morrolan neatly avoided those consequences and also preserved his dignity as a Dragonlord. Anyone who'd see us would simply assume we were doing something gravely important - at least, they'd assume that -Morrolan- was doing something gravely important. Obviously, as an Easterner, I couldn't possibly be up to stuff like that.

_"Heh."_

Oh, yes, and Loiosh was there, too. I'd promised him Blackwand wouldn't try and eat him, and that Rozca wouldn't either, even if she'd find out about his spying on her.

x

"So, what's Vlad like in bed?" Aliera asked, as casually as she might have inquired about the weather or someone's willingness to give her a bit of sport with a sword.

Cawti coughed, once. She didn't blush as much as I might have in her place, but then again, I'm not a woman. There may be differences there, aside from the obvious.

Norathar leaned forwards, the expression on her face reminding me of what she'd told me in Dzur-mountain, before she'd been proclaimed Dragon Heir. She'd said she'd kill me if I'd ever hurt Cawti. I wondered now if that meant that she'd just hurt me a lot if I proved to be lousy in bed.

_"Maybe she'll only force you to take lessons, boss." _

Loiosh has it easy, in that area, and in others as well. -He- doesn't need to worry about someone biting his head off if he doesn't perform as is expected of him. According to jhereg, it's the female's responsibility to make sure the male gets it right. I wouldn't want to trade places with him for all the money in the world.

"He's very ... enthusiastic." Cawti smiled, very lightly. Jhereg simply don't have a knack for smiling, unless it's the 'now, you can make this easy on yourself, or not' smile that Smiley's so very good at. Being an Easterner and, granted, the love of my life, Cawti's smile seemed like a beautiful, rare gem to me. If I'd been crouching around the corner, instead of sitting in Morrolan's study, I'd likely have done something that would have given my presence away.

Aliera snorted. "Enthusiastic is just another word for 'clueless and clumsy like a virgin'."

Norathar nodded. "And 'horny and selfish like a dragon'." From the way she said it, and the way Aliera was nodding, too, I could tell it was some sort of quote. Which was ... interesting, considering that both Aliera and Norathar were Dragons. I risked a glance at Morrolan who seemed completely unbothered by the comment. Perhaps he felt it only applied to female Dragons.

"I don't mean it like that!" Cawti protested.

"Ah, but you did say it like that, sister of my heart," Norathar said. If I hadn't known better, I could have sworn she sounded a little jealous, like she was disappointed that Cawti hadn't caved in and confessed that yes, I was downright awful to share a bed with.

"Sometimes, in an unguarded moment, we may say things we won't admit even to ourselves," Aliera added. I wondered when she'd turned into an Athyra. I also wondered what I'd done recently to annoy her. Norathar, I could almost understand; I mean, if you work, live and kill for years with a person, it's only natural that you develop a bond, and that you want to believe the worst about anyone who that person replaces you with. If she hadn't turned out to be a Dragonlord, I'd have been worried.

"Why am I the only one being questioned, anyway?" Cawti had apparently decided that an attack would be her best defense. I wasn't sure where she was going though. As far as I knew, neither Norathar nor Aliera had any kind of relationship. That would probably be why they were so curious about Cawti's.

"We are hardly questioning you." Aliera snorted, and I could practically hear the 'Jhereg' she'd swallowed at the end of her statement. "We are merely making small talk."

Norathar glanced at her. I bet she, too, had heard Aliera sneering at the House she'd thought she belonged to until very recently. She chose to let it go though, in favor of presenting a united front to Cawti. "We are concerned about a friend," she said. "I love you, and I don't like the thought of someone not treating you the way you deserve." The switch from 'we' to 'I' was interesting, and probably accurate. Aliera couldn't care less about Cawti; former companion of the future Empress or not, she remained an Easterner and a Jhereg.

"Your concern is appreciated." Cawti sighed. I didn't think Aliera was included in that 'your'. I didn't think Aliera cared about that either. "Now, can we talk about something else?"

" 'Enthusiastic' hardly answers our question." Aliera scoffed.

Norathar looked pensive. Cawti shot her a pleading look, and she shrugged, as if to say: 'You're the one who went and got herself involved in a relationship; you can go and get yourself out of this on your own, too.'

tbc


	2. Ending

Girls will be girls

xx

Warnings/notes: suggested Norathar/Cawti, Morrolan/Vlad, Sethra/Aliera and Aliera/Mario, slightly silly, ooc, drabble-ish.

Disclaimer: The wondrous world of Dragaera was created by Steven Brust.

written at 16th june 2006, by Misura

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"All right then." Cawti lifted her head and sent Aliera a look what would have sent me running for the kitchen, to cook something marvellous and remind her of why she loved me. "Tell me, Aliera, what's the legendary Mario Greymist like in bed?"

I winced. Sure enough, I'd heard the rumors about Aliera and Mario having had some sort of fling, before he went and killed the then-Emperor. I'd never heard anyone repeat them in a place where Aliera could overhear them, though, and Aliera herself had never told me anything about the affair at all either. Cawti's strike would be a good one, if the rumors were true. I didn't think they were.

"Skilled, steadfast and dexterous," Aliera replied calmly, her tone that of someone stating the obvious.

Okay, so apparently Aliera didn't tell me everything. When I thought about it, that shouldn't have surprised me, but ... Aliera picking a -Jhereg- for a lover?

"I would assume that, due to his mixed blood, he's received the best of both Houses; the energy and passion of a Dzur, and the attentiveness of a Tiassa," Aliera chatted on. I suspected she was putting on a bit of an act to rib Cawti, although Norathar didn't seem the least bit scandalized by Aliera's frankness. "Of course, he was less skilled when I first met him than he is now."

"Of course," Cawti echoed. Her gaze was seeking Norathar's again.

"What of the Enchantress of Dzur Mountain?" Norathar asked, in what seemed to me an extremely unsubtle attempt to change the subject. Aliera would probably still go along with it, though. Norather was the Dragon Heir, after all.

"Sethra?" Aliera cocked her head, considering. "She's ... unique."

"A most descriptive description," Norather commented dryly.

"That bad, eh?" Cawti tossed in, her voice only slightly shaky.

Aliera glared at her with eyes that were neither blue nor green. I tried to remember if I'd told Cawti about what it meant when Aliera's eyes started to change colour. I didn't think I had.

"It's like Sethra is the person I'm married to, and Mario is my lover." Aliera shrugged. I supposed that made sense; if it hadn't been for Sethra, Aliera'd still be sort-of sleeping in a staff, without a body to walk around in and have love-affairs with legendary Jhereg with. It seemed no more than logical that Sethra would take an interest in what Aliera did with her life, although this did add one more mysterious side to the relationship between Aliera and Mario. I couldn't imagine Aliera carrying on with something that Sethra disapproved of so strongly. Mario might be as great a lover as an assassin, but great enough to incur the wrath of the Enchantress? All in all, I was surprised she hadn't turned him into a norska yet. Or, on second thought, maybe she had. Maybe that was why nobody'd seen him around for such a long time.

"They don't get along, I take it." Norathar seemed slightly amused.

Aliera shook her head. "He nearly killed her when she rescued him from the fall-out of Daddy's little mistake." I think it says a lot about Aliera that she still talks about Adron's Disaster as a 'little mistake'. "She had to assure him three times that I was alive before he believed her and went off to look for me."

"I doubt if she was in much danger from him," Cawti said.

"Well, she knew I loved him, so she couldn't kill him." Aliera shrugged. "And she was rather exhausted from the teleport, especially since she'd only counted on one person, not two. Mario was certain that I'd been killed at the time, which didn't exactly leave him with anything to live for. He might have wounded her badly, at the very least, if she hadn't managed to convince him."

Have I ever mentioned how modest Aliera is?

"Well, isn't that ... fascinating?" Cawti murmured. She looked slightly dazed. I assumed she wasn't used to people dropping the names of legends as casually as Aliera did. It's a special knack of Aliera's, really; nothing quite deflates the ego of an amorous Dragonlord like one of Aliera's casual references to her fling with Duke Wherever or Lord Whathisname back in the days when there still was a Dragaera City. Of course, it might just be the reminder of Aliera being the daughter of -that- Adron, but I don't think so. It'd ascribe far too much sense to your average Dragonlord.

"He was also pretty pissed off when she kept him out of her retrieving the staff containing my soul at first, and then visiting the Paths of the Dead to get back my body second. He nearly killed Vlad for doing those things in his place, but I convinced him Vlad wasn't really to blame." Aliera smiled.

I felt like I was going to be sick. At the time she was talking about, I'd felt a bit upset at Morrolan and Sethra setting up a meeting by convincing one of my button-men to make a run for it, with more money than I could afford to have stolen by an employee of mine. Okay, I'd felt plenty upset, and not at all happy. Still, it wasn't pleasant to hear Sethra hadn't just picked me because I'd seemed the best man for the job, but also because I was someone with some of the same abilities that Mario had, only without the importance to Aliera that kept her from using him instead. The idea of Mario going after me for nearly getting myself killed didn't help much either.

"Uh-uh." Cawti bobbed her head.

"I hear I definitely must speak with Sethra again some day," Norathar said.

Aliera made a slight bow. "I recommend that you do so. She may be able to tell you much of interest, and as the Dragon Heir, I am sure that she will not begrudge you her time."

Norathar sighed. I wondered if it was because she'd remembered that while Sethra would have time for -her-, she might find herself rather short on time for Sethra soon, once the Council got fully used to the idea of her being the new Heir. Both Aliera and Morrolan had been very clear about considering their assignments only temporarily, until a more suitable candidate could be found, but from what I'd heard, Norathar didn't have that option. She was stuck with the title, and all that came with it.

"Shouldn't we be headed back to the hall now?" Cawti inquired.

"We might, but then the Lady Norathar wouldn't get a chance to share her experiences with us," Aliera replied. The look she threw in Norathar's direction was slightly less than friendly. Perhaps she hadn't quite appreciated Norathar cutting short her interviewing of Cawti.

Norathar compressed her lips. Cawti shifted on her seat, her expression a little worried. It wasn't the kind of 'worried' that made me concerned for Norathar's or Cawti's health though; it was more as if Cawti expected someone to hurt her, and wasn't able to do anything about it.

"There is no need to speak of such things," Norathar spoke at last. "We see no reason why we should indulge your curiosity, Lady Aliera." The 'we' she used was imperial, no doubt about it, and yet she also managed to include Cawti in it.

All three of them rose, with Cawti and Norathar staying close together, and Aliera standing aside, alone. Aliera didn't seem bothered by this, although I thought I caught a glimpse of annoyance in her eyes.

"My cousin has informed me that Vlad is rather boring and dull in bed," Aliera said to Cawti, just when they were about to leave. "Although I suppose you're really not used to anything better."

Norathar froze. It was the dangerous kind of freezing; the kind that would have sent me diving for cover if I'd thought I was the cause of it. Cawti's stance matched hers, reminding me that the Dagger and the Sword of the Jhereg had been, a mere three weeks ago, nearly as legendary as Mario.

"I never said any such thing," Morrolan declared. It was only then that I noticed he'd teleported to the scene we'd been watching, leaving me alone in his study. I wondered if he'd left me behind to save my life, or just because he'd been in too much of a hurry to ask me if I wanted to come along, too. I wasn't sure what I'd have done if he'd asked.

"No, but you do seem to consider it perfectly honorable to spy on your guests, even if one of them is your future Empress," Aliera shot back. She didn't even seem to be aware of the danger she was in, or had been in for several seconds. "Perhaps you'd care to tell us why that is?"

Morrolan flushed. I wasn't sure if he was embarrassed, or if he was just angry with Aliera having caught him. "I was merely experimenting with a new spell. I assure you no insult was meant, and that I had no intention at all of listening in on a private conversation." He bowed in Norathar's direction.

"My lord Morrolan, I accept your apology." Norathar gave him a slight nod. For a moment, I was sure that Morrolan would protest and say that he hadn't intended his words as an apology at all, since he'd done nothing that required apologizing for, but he seemed to think better of it and merely nodded back. Cawti was glowering at him, so he nodded at her as well.

Aliera sniffed. The curtesy she offered Cawti was elaborate, and probably more mocking than serious, although it was hard to tell. "I assure you my words were only meant to get my cousin to reveal himself, and I wish you and Vlad all the happiness you deserve."

If Cawti detected the irony in that last part, she didn't show it. Instead, she merely smiled at Aliera and murmured that, of course, she understood, and that Aliera's best wishes were most kind.

Norathar and Cawti departed, leaving Morrolan and Aliera to glare at each other.

"Your comment was most uncalled-for," Morrolan said.

"So were your actions," Aliera said.

"However, it would interest me to learn how you became aware of the spell. As I mentioned, I am still fine-tuning it, and I would greatly appreciate your assistance," Morrolan continued smoothly, like Aliera hadn't spoken at all.

"Very well, then I will tell you so."

The two of them walked off in the direction of Morrolan's laboratory, and I realized I'd been holding my breath, and that I could go on breathing normally now, since all had ended well. The spell dissolved the moment I closed and opened my eyes again - or perhaps Morrolan had remembered to turn it off.

I thought that would be the end of the affair until, five minutes later, Norathar and Cawti came striding into the room, demanding me to tell them all that had been going on between me and Morrolan the past few years. Loiosh, traitor that he was, confirmed to Rozca that I'd spent the night here several times, and was granted instant forgiveness for his part in my supposed crimes.

x

The morale of this story is, obviously, that you should never trust your familiar to keep something a secret from the woman you love. Also, it's probably a bad idea to get involved in a Dragonlord's experiment with a new spell. As to getting involved with a Dragonlord himself ...

the end


End file.
